Blitz Bureau
Extreme heat and worsening drought conditions are gripping large parts of Europe, fuelling wildfires and prompting urgent weather alerts across multiple countries. Scientists and international agencies warn that this crisis is part of a broader “new era of drought,” driven by climate change and posing escalating threats to food security, ecosystems, and national economies. In Germany, the weather office has issued extreme heat warnings across much of the country and highlighted a rising risk of wildfires, especially in the southeast.
Similar conditions are unfolding across Central Europe. In the Czech Republic, the national meteorological institute warned of “very high temperatures” and increased fire danger, with some regions expected to reach 37 degrees Celsius, reports Xinhua news agency.
Prague’s emergency services have already responded to multiple heatrelated incidents, and a fire ban remains in effect. Slovakia’s meteorological authority issued its highest-level red alert for 10 districts on July 3, forecasting highs up to 38 degrees Celsius as warm air masses from the west intensify the heat. Neighbouring Croatia and Romania are also on alert, with peak temperatures expected to reach 39 degrees Celsius and 37 degrees Celsius, respectively.
In the Netherlands, the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute confirmed the country’s first official heatwave in three years. De Bilt, the national reference station, recorded five consecutive days above 30 degrees Celsius, prompting a code orange alert in the southeastern provinces. Southern Europe is faring no better. Spain continues to endure a recordbreaking heatwave, with June 2025 confirmed as the country’s hottest month on record.
The Spanish meteorological agency AEMET reported an average monthly temperature of 23.6 degrees Celsius, hotter than typical July and August averages. Tragically, two farmers died on Tuesday in a wildfire that scorched 5,000 hectares in La Segarra, northeast Spain.
